Sheet-conveying machine.



No. 764,928. PATENTED JULY 12 1904. T. 0. DEXTER & H. HALLSTREAM.

SHEET GONVEYING MACHINE;

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 20. 1903.

N0 MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 764,928. PATENTED JULY 12, 1904. T. 0. DEXTER & H. HALLSTREAM. SHEET CONVEYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED I'BB. 20,1903. 1X0 MODEL.

Q m Q 3 No. 764,928. PATENTED JULY 12, 1904.

T. O. DEXTER H. HALLSTREAM.

SHEET CONVEYING MACHINE.

APPLIGATIOH FILED FEB. 20, 1903.

H0 MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

wwweqoeo 7 I 7 544mm tow if 4 322 2 No. 764,928. PATENTED JULY 12, 1904,

T. O. DEXTER & H. HALLSTREAM.

SHEET CONVEYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20, 1903.

N0 MODEL. 4 SHEBTSSHEET 4.

UNITED STATES Iatented Jul 12, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

TALBOT C. DEXTER AND HENRY HALLSTREAIWI, OF PEARL RIVER, NEW YORK; SAID HALLSTREAM ASSIGNOR TO SAID DEXTER.

SHEET-CONVEYING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,928, dated. July 12, 1904.

Application filed February 20, 1903. Serial No. 144,283. (No model.)

To (ti/Z whmn it may concern:

Be it known that we, TALBOT C. DEXTER and HENRY HALLSTREAM, citizens of the United States, residing at Pearl River, in the county of Rockland and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Conveying Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in sheet-feeding mechanism for conveying successive sheets of paper from an automatic paper-feeding machine to a printingpress, folding-machine, ruling-machine, or other machine designed to operate upon sheets of paper.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of such sheet-conveying mechanism which can readily be adjusted to suit different sizes of sheets which are to be fed to the press or other machine and which has adjustable means for regulating the feed of the successive sheets into registered position against the front guides of the press or other machine.

Considerable difficulty has been experienced with mechanical feeding mechanism for feeding sheets to printing-presses and other machines from the tendency of the machines to crowd the sheets against the front gages. This crowding effect is particularly undesirable and of constant occurrence in rotary presses of high speed, where the sheets are rapidly thrust against the front gages. In certain grades of paper the sheet has a tendency to rebound after striking the front gage and in consequence will fail to properly register and be in position to be seized by the grippers on the impression-cylinder of the press. It is very important to have the registered sheets entirely relieved of any inclination to press forward or rebound after they have engaged the front gages.

The present invention is designed to imitate as nearly as practicable the operation of feeding sheets by hand. In accomplishing this object we provide the sheet-conveyer (having, preferably, adjustable sheet-carrying belts or tapes for taking the successive sheets from the feeding-machine and a series of rods or bars or other suitable means arranged on a lower plane than the sheet-carrying tapes to receive the sheets from said tapes) with a novel construction of slow-down feed mechanism located at or adjacent to the delivery end of the conveyer for slowing down the rapid advance of the sheet justprior to its engagement with the front gages of the press. This improved slow-down feed mechanism comprises a plurality of automatically-operated frictional drop-rollers cooperating successively with a plurality, preferably two, of constantly-driven underfeed-surfaces, such as rollers, traveling at different peripheral speeds. The drop-rollers or upper frictional rollers are controlled by suitable cam mechanism, so that during the main part of the feeding operation the droprollers will be in operative engagment with the sheet above the first underfeed-roller, which rotates at a relatively rapid peripheral speed, while during another period of the operation the drop-rollers will be shifted to operative engagement with the sheet above the second underfeed-roller, which rotates at a relatively slower peripheral speed, and during a third period of the operation the drop-rollers will be returned to their initial position in readiness to engage the next succeeding sheet above the first or rapidly-movingunderfeed-roller. The drop-rollers are in constant engagement with the sheet during its transit to the press over the underfeed-rollers. The sheets are rapidly fed down by the sheet conveying tapes to the slow-down feed-roller mechanism described, with the result that the speed of each sheet will be sufiiciently reduced just prior to its engagement with the front gages to allow it to gently engage the front gages without crowding or rebounding. In order that the invention may be fully understood, it will first be described in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the novelty afterward pointed out more particularly in the annexed claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a detail side elevation of our improved sheet-feeding and slow-down mechanism. Fig. 2 is a plan View larged scale.

of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation of the sheet-controlling mechanism on an en- Fig. 4 1s a similar view showing the parts in shifted position with one of the side supporting-brackets removed for clearness. Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the parts in the position shown in Fig. 3.

1 represents the impression-cylinder, 2 the front gage, 3 the under guides, and 4 the feedboard, of a printing-press.

5 represents part of the frame of an automatic paper-feeding machine.

6 is the feeding-machine tape-roller, driven by a part of the feeding-machine in a manner well understood.

10 represents the side bars of the frame which supports the sheet-conveying mechanism, which carries the successive sheets from the feeding-machine to the printing-press or other machine. These bars 10 are pivotally mounted upon the feeding-machine frame at 11 and carry upon their forward ends the side brackets 12, upon which are mounted the side registering mechanisms. (Not shown since they do not form any part of our present invention.)

Indicated by 15 is one of a pair of adjustable brackets or carriages which are mounted upon the side bars 10 and are provided with setscrews 16 for clamping them in the desired adjusted position upon the side bars. Freely journaled in these side brackets or carriages 15 and extending from side to side of the machine is a tape-roller 17. The receiving conveyer-tapes 18 pass around the feeder taperoller 6 and the tape-roller 17.v A second set of adjustable sheet-carrying-tapes 20 is provided for transferring sheets from the receiving tapes 18 to suitable sheet supporting means adapted to receive the successivesheets from the carrying-tapes and deliver them to the front gages of the press. This second set of tapes 20 is supported on tape-rollers 21 and 22, which are freely journaled, respectively, in the adjustable pairs of brackets or carriages 23 and 24. These brackets or carriages 23 and 24 are mounted upon the side bars 10 of the conveyer-frame, set-screws 24' being threaded into the carriages 24 to engage the side bars 10 and hold the said carriages in the desired adjusted position. Connecting-bars 26 are pivotally mounted upon the ears 27 of carriages 23 and adjustably held in sockets 28 by set-screws 29 upon thecarriages 24. By adjusting the carriages 24 upon connectingrods 26 the tape-roller 22 can, be moved toward or away from the tape roller 21 for loosening or tightening the tapes 20. By means of the pinions engaging racks 25 on the rods 10 both sets of carriages 23 24 can be adjusted in the plane of feed by sliding upon the side bars 10. This adjustment is for the purpose of bringing the delivery tape-roller 21 nearer to or farther from the registeringthe manner herein shown. auxiliary feed-roller 54 is a gear 55, that meshes with and is driven by the intermegages of the press or other machine to which the conveyer mechanism is applied.

--The tapes 20 are driven by means of a band or tape 30, passing around the roller 22 and roller 6, the intermediate pulleys 31 32 and belt-tightening pulley 33 carrying the weight 34. The upper carrying portion of tapes 20 is in the same plane as the carrying portion of tapes 18, and the tape-roller'22 is arranged between tape-rollers 6 and 17, sothat tapes 20 are interlapped with tapes 18 and can be adjusted in the plane of feed without interfering with the feeding relation between the tapes.

Extending across the feed-board above the conveyer-tapes and journaled in the bracketarms 40, projecting up from the brackets 23, is a rock-shaft 41, to which are attached rockarms 42. These rock-arms 42 depend. at an angle from the rock-shaft and have pivoted to their lower ends arms or links 43, said links in turn having journaled in their free ends the drop or friction rollers 45. rollers are arranged to initially rest above the tape feed-roller 21 to confine the sheets thereon as they pass from the second set of tapes 20 to suitable supporting means for conveying them to the registering devices of a press or other machine. The tape-roller 21 also acts as the first or rapidly-moving underfeed-roller of the improved feed-roller mechanism. Surrounding the pivots connecting the arms or links 43 with rock-arms 42 are tension-springs 46, the opposite ends of said springs engaging the pivots and the links, so that the links will have exerted thereon a downward pressure that will tend to keep the friction-rollers 45 in active engagement with the sheet on the underfeed-rollers. The peripheral surface of the friction-rollers is covered with some suitable material, such as rubber or the like, to insure proper frictional hold upon the sheets. The rock-arms 42 are mounted on the rockshaft 41 so as to be transversely and rotatively adjustable and are secured in adjusted position on the shaft by means of set-screws 42.

Mounted on the shaft of feed-roller 21. between the end of the roller and the bracket 25 is a gear 51, that meshes with and operates an intermediate gear 52, journaled on a stud 53, projecting inward from the side of the bracket 23. An auxiliary feed-roller 54, of less diameter than the feed-roller 21, is journaled in the brackets 23 just forward of the feed-roller 21 and on a lower plane. The auxiliary feed-roller is here shown of approximately half the diameter of the feed-roller 21, this being the preferred proportionate relation of these feed-rollers when operated in Secured to the diate gear 52. Thus it will be seen that while the gears 51, 52, and are driven at a unilform speed the auxiliary roller being of less These frictiondiameter than the feed-roller 21 will have a reduced peripheral speed. 7

By referring to Fig. 3 it will be noticed that the sheet is shown with its rear edge but a short distance away from the feed-rollers, in which position the leading edge of the sheet is but a short distance from the controllinggages of the press or other machine and it is desirable to slow down the sheet before it strikes the gages. hen the sheet reaches this position, the upper friction-rollers 45 will be moved forward, as shown in Fig.4,until they engage the sheet against the auxiliary lower feed-roller 54, where they will remainuntil the sheet passes beyond the feed-roller 54. I WVhile the friction drop-rollers are moving forward they will be in engagement with the sheet against either the feed-roller 21 or the auxiliary roller 54 at all times. and thereby retain control .of the sheet during its transit from the conveyer-tapes to the press or other machine. After the friction-rollers have moved forward and engaged the sheet against tend to slow down or check the sheet and per' mit it to gently engage the front gages of the press. This method of slowing down the sheet just before the leading edge of the sheet engages the front gages permits the sheets to be fed as rapidly as may be desired, the sheets still being allowed to overlap each other forward of the feed-rollers, and at the same time there is no danger of the sheets buckling against or rebounding from the gages.

The rock-shaft 41 carries a dependent rockarm 60, having secured in its lower end a screw-operated clamping device 61, in which a rod 65 is frictionally held by suitable frictional material 61. By reason of the frictional engagement between clamping device 61 and rod 65 said rod will automatically adjust itself in the clamp when the supporting bracket is adjusted as hereinafter explained. The rod 65 connects with the lower end of lever 66, pivoted to the feeding-machine frame at 67 and carrying in its upper end an antifriction-roller 68, which operates upon the periphery of acam 69. A spring 66 connects lever 66 with the feeding-machine frame for holding the lever in operative relation-to the cam 69. The cam 69 may be mounted upon the main cam-shaft of the feeding-machine or upon any other rotating part of said machine. WVhen the cam 69 is in the position shown in Fig. 1, the friction-rollers will be held against the sheet on feed-roller 21; but when the roller 68 drops into the lower portion of the cam the rod 65 will rock the shaft 41 and move the friction-rollers forward and cause them to engage the sheet against the auxiliaryfeed-roller 54. The movement of rockshaft 41 and the drop-rollers 45 forward and back upon their supporting-brackets is limited by the engagement of the inwardly-extended portion of hub'71 of depending arm with one of the bracket-arms 40 in one direction and with the forwardly-projecting hookarm 7 O of the bracket-arm in the other direction. By this means the rod is automatically adjusted in the clamp 61 when the brackets 23 are adjusted on the rods 10 to accommodate different sizes of sheets. If the brackets 23 are moved upon the rods 10 in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3, for instance, the rock-arm 60, shaft 41, and rollers 45 will be moved forwardly with relationto the brackets because of their connection with'the rod 65, which does not move when the brack-v ets are adjusted.

If the adjustment of the brackets in the direction indicated isof Suficient extent, the 'hub portion 71 of rock-arm 60 will engage the hook-arm of bracket' arm 40 and prevent'further relative movement of'the rock-arm 60 and connected parts upon the brackets and cause the frictional clamp .61 to slide upon the operating-rod 65.

The reverse of the above-described operation takes place when the brackets 23 are moved in the direction opposite to that indicated by y matically adjust itself in the clamp 61 to suit of our slow-down feed mechanism are the retaining hold of the sheet during its transfer from the control of one conveying-surface to another, so as to prevent the sheet getting out of alinement on the conveyer-frame, and the simultaneous release from the rapidlymoving surface and engagement of. the slowlymoving surface to avoid buckling the sheet.

Having thus described our invention, the following is what we claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A sheet-conveyer having in combination a plurality of sheet-conveying surfaces traveling at different speeds, and means forsuccessively holding a sheet in frictional engage- I ment with the respective.conveying-surfaces, said means being adapted to retain hold of the sheet during. its transfer from the control of one conveying-surface to another and release the frictional hold of one surface when the frictional hold of the succeeding surface becomes effective, as set forth.

2. A sheetconveyer having in combination a plurality of sheet-conveying surfaces traveling'at different speeds and arranged to act successively upon a sheet in the order of their decreasing speed, cooperating rollers for effecting frictional engagement of the conveying-surfaces with a sheet, and controlling means for said rollers adapted to cause them to release the frictional hold of one of said surfaces when the frictional hold of the other surface becomes effective and retain hold of the sheet during its transfer from the control of one surface to another, as set forth.

3. A sheet-conveyer having in combination two sheet-conveying surfaces traveling at different speeds, and cooperating rollers arranged to successively engage a sheet againstthe respective conveying-surfaces to cause said conveying-surfaces to successively act upon the sheet, each of said rollers cooperating with both of said surfaces and retaininghold of the sheet during its transfer from the control of one of said surfaces to the other, as set forth.

4:. In a sheet-conveyer, the combination of sheet-conveying means, suitable feed-rollers of different peripheral speed adjacent to each other in the path of the sheet, and frictionrollers adapted to successively engage the sheet against the feed-rollers, said frictionrollers releasing the sheet from one feed roller when it is engaged against the other feed-roller and retaining hold of the sheetduring its transfer from the control of one of said surfaces to the other, for the purpose explained.

5. In a sheet-conveyer, the combination of sheet-conveying tapes, feed-rollers of differential speed relation adjacent to each other in the path of the sheet, means for driving the feed-rollers, friction-rollers adapted to normally engage the sheet against the feed-roller of greater speed, and means for intermittently operating the friction-rollers to engage the feed-roller of lesser speed, for the purpose explained.

6. In a sheet-conveyer, the combination of sheet-conveying tapes, a main tape-engaged feed-roller, an auxiliary feed-roller of less peripheral speed than the tape-engaged feedroller adjacent thereto, resiliently-supported friction-rollers adapted to engage the sheet against the tape-engaged feed-roller and the auxiliary feed-roller and controlling means for said friction-rollers adapted to cause them to simultaneously release the sheet from one feed-roller and engage it against the other.

7. In a sheet-conveyer, the combination of sheet-conveying means, suitable feed-rollers of different peripheral speed in the path of the sheet adjacent to each other, and frictionrollers normally in engagement with the feedroller of greater peripheral speed and intermittently operated to engage the sheet against the feed-roller of lesser peripheral speed, for the purpose explained.

8. In a sheet-conveyer, the combination of sheet-conveying means, feed-rollers of different peripheral speed adjacent to each other in the path of the sheet, resiliently-supported friction-rollers adapted to alternately engage the sheet against the feed-rollers, and means for operatively controlling the friction-rollers adapted to cause them to release the sheet from one feed-roller when it is engaged against the other and retain hold of the sheet during the transfer from one feed-roller to the other, as set forth.

9. In a sheetconveyer, the combination of sheet-conveying tapes, sheet-arresting gages, a tape-engaged feed-roller, an auxiliary feedroller adjacent to and of less peripheral speed than the tape-engaged feed-roller, adjustable friction-rollers adapted to normally engage the sheet against the tape-engaged feed-roller, and means operatively controlling the friction-rollers to intermittently move them into engagement with the sheet on the auxiliary feed-roller before the leading edge of the sheet is arrested by the gages.

10. In a sheet-conveyer, the combination of sheetconveying tapes, a feed-roller operatively engaged by the-conveyer-tapes, an auxiliary feed-roller adjacent to and on a plane below the tape-engaged feed-roller, the peripheral speed of the auxiliary roller being less than that of the tape-engaged feed-roller, and means for intermittently operating the friction-rollers to alternately engage the feedrollers, for the purpose explaine 11. In a sheet-conveyer, the combination of sheetconveying tapes, a feed-roller operatively engaged by the tapes, an auxiliary feedroller adjacent to and of less peripheral speed than the tape-engaged feed-roller, operating means operatively controlling the feed-rollers, spring-actu ated friction-rollers adapted to alternately engage the sheet against the feedrollers, and intermittently-operated means operatively controlling the friction-rollers, as explained.

12. The combination with a feeding-machine and actuating mechanism, sheet conveying tapes and a printing-press and paper-controlling gages, of feed-rollers of variant speed operatively controlled by the tapes, adjustable spring-actuated friction-rollers normally engaging the sheet on the feed-roller of higher speed, and means for intermittently operating the friction-rollers to move the frictionrollers into engagement with the sheet on the feed-roller of lower speed before the leading edge of the sheet engages the controllinggages of the press, for the purpose explained.

13. In a sheet-conveyer, the combination of sheet-conveying tapes, a main feed-roller operatively controlled by the conveying-tapes, an auxiliary feed-roller adjacent to the main feed-roller and having a reduced peripheral speed with relation to the main feed-roller, means for operatively connecting the feedrollers, friction-rollers adapted to alternately engage the sheet against the main feed-roller and the auxiliary feed-roller, and means for operatively controlling said friction-rollers, for the purpose explained.

14;. In a sheet-conveyer, the combination of sheet-conveying tapes, feed-rollers of variant speed adjacent to each other in the path of the sheet, a suitably-supported rock-shaft, friction-rollers adjustably mounted on the rockshaft, and intermittently-operated means operatively connected with the rock-shaft to alternately hold the friction-rollers in engagement with the sheet against the feed-rollers, for the purpose explained.

15. A mechanism of the character described, having in combination an adjustable sheetmoving device, an adjustable bracket having parts which engage a part of the sheet-moving device for determining the position of said device, and operating means including a reciprocatory bar having a frictional connection with a part of the sheet-moving device, whereby, when the said bracket is adjusted, said frictional connection will allow relative movement between said bar and the connected part of the sheet-moving device to automatically adjust said connection, as set forth.

16. A mechanism of the character described, having in combination a conveyer-frame, a sheet-conveying means, a bracket adjustably mounted upon the conveyer-frame, a sheet engaging and moving device mounted upon said bracket, parts upon said bracket engaging said device for determining its operative position, an arm projecting from said sheetmoving device, an operating-rod, and a friction device connecting said rod and said arm and adapted to automatically adjust itself when said bracket is adjusted, as set forth.

17. In combination with a feeding-machine and its actuating mechanism, a conveyer-frame and sheet-conveying means, of brackets ad justably mounted on the conveyer-frame, arockshaft journaled in the brackets, feedingdevices supported by the rock-shaft, a rock+arm mounted on the rock-shaft, an operating-rod operatively connected to the rock-arm and operatively controlling the rock-shaft, and means on the brackets engaging the rock-arm for automatically maintaining the operative relation between the rod and rock shaft when the brackets are adjusted to meet the sheets of varying sizes.

TALBOT C. DEXTER. HENRY HALLSTREAM. Witnesses:

WM. A. OOURTLAND, J. GREEN. 

